Improvement in harvester-rakes



T. HARDING.

HARVESTER RAKE. I

Patented Mar. 10, 1868.

A UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS HARDING, OF SPRINGFIELD, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN HARVESTER-RAKES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 75,263,6ated March 10, 1868.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, THOMAS HARDING, of Springfield, in the county of Clarke and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Harvester Reels and Rakes;

and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying I drawings, in whichstruetion and mamier of attaching the switch.

' My invention relates to an improved form of automatic reel-rake for harvesters; and consists in making it in such a manner as will allow the driver to have the most perfect control of the same in all its operations, and at any time desiredas when the grain is thinonly one of the arms may be used as a rake, or each alternate one when the thickness of the grain may require it.

In order that others may understand the construction and operation of my invention, I will proceed to particularly describe it.-

The drawings represent enough of a twowheeled flexible-cutter-bar harvester to show the manner of attaching my invention to the same. 1

A represents the inner shoe of such a machine, and B the guard-finger bar, with the platform 0 attached, all of which parts, together with the divider D, outer shoe E, and guide F, are made in the ordinary manner, and need no description. 1

The forward and rear ends of the shoe A are turned up at about right angles, and have holes drilled through them to receive the rear end of the drag-bar, by means of which it is connected with the machine. A vertical groove is out in the rear side of the forward end of this shoe to receive one end of the bridge G. This bndge 1s made of a stout piece of iron, of sufficient length to permit the ends being turned dr nvnward just inside of the bridge a vertical hole is drilled to receive the shaft H which turns the rake, and on the top of the bridge, over the hole, is secured the hollow post I, in which the shaft H turns, and which also serves as a standard to support the guide-frame of the rake. This post I is made with a flange at its base, longest in the direction of the bridge G, to give it a firm support, and has a similar but smaller flange at the top, to which is secured the guideframe J.

The shaft H of the rake passes through the post I, above and below, having at the lower end thehorizontal pulley-wheel K, and at the upperend the head or cap L, in which the "arms of the rake are inserted. Motion is communicated to the pulley-wheel by a band or chain passing around it and a similar wheel on the axle of the driving-wheels.

. The head or cap L is made of cast-iron, and in the form shown in Figs. 1, 3, having four slots at right angles to one another, to receive and retain the arms M'M of the rake, which are fastened by bolts passing through the ends and the sides of the slots. The arms M M are free to move vertically as they pass around the guide-frame, and are attached to the rake-heads N N at an angle of about thirty degrees, or such that, as it sweeps overthe platform to remove the cut grain, the head N may be parallel to the upper surface of said platform.

On one side of the arms M M, and at the end secured in the head or cap L, is secured a plate of metal, I) b, each of which plates has an arm projecting at right angles downward, of proper length to conform to the ways of the guide-frame J, and to the lower ends of these arms are fastened small rollers c c, to lessen the friction in passing around the guidefi'ame.

The guide-frame J is shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3. It is made of iron, and rests upon the flange at the top of the hollow post I, to which it is firmly secured 'by means of bolts or screws. It is irregular in outline, and has, at the side farthest from the platform, two arms which project outward and' upward to the guideway (l, which is secured to them and to the opposite side of the frame at about the same angle with which the arms M'M join the rake-head N. This guideway dis secured to the frame J in such position that the rollers c c of the arms M M may rest upon it and against it, when the said arms are being carried around by the pulley K.

In this manner of construction each rake would be brought in contact with the upper surface of the platform, sweeping the grain off the same four times to every revolution of the pulley-wheel K. This is not desired, but, on the contrary, I wish to use two or three of the rake-heads as a reel, while only one or two, as may be demanded by the thickness of the grain, shall act as rakes.

In order to accomplish this I extend the frame J horizontally toward the platform, and beyond the guideway 01, as represented in Figs. 1, 2. On the outer edge of this, and projecting upward, is cast the piece e, which serves as a part of another guideway, over which the rollers c o pass.- At the rear end of this piece 0, and secured to the frame J by a bolt passing upthrough it, so that it may be free 'to turn upon said bolt, is the piece f, which forms a part of the guideway with the piece 0. At the forward end of the piece a is secured the switch g, which, together with the pieces e and f, forms a guideway, over which the rollers c 0 pass when it is desired to carry the rakes over the platform at such a height' that they shall act as a reel, the switch 9 and piece f having their free endsfresting on the guideway d, as seen in Fig. 2, so that when the roller 0 comes in contact with the switch' g said roller passes over it and the pieces 0 and f, and the arm M, and the rake with it, is elevated clear of the grain upon the platform.

In order to bring the next arm down so that the rake may pass over the surface of the platform, I secure to the. switch 9 a pin, 1', Fig. 4, which passes ,down through the frame V J and the box h, which is secured to the lower surface of said frame. To the lower end of this piniis secured the arm 9', and around the box h is coiled a spring, k, one end pressing against a pin on the upper surface of the arm j, the other being secured to the lower surface of the guide-frame J. By this spring the end of the switch 9 is pressed tight against the guideway d.

At a proper place in the guide-frame J is a vertical slot, through which passes the lever I, which is pivoted by a screw to the side of the flange at the top of. the hollow post I, a portion of which is cut away, so as to bring the lever nearer to the vertical shaft which turns the rake. This lever l is connected with the arm j by a short rod, m, Fig. 3, and by means of this connection the end of the switch g is moved away from the guideway d, so as to allow the roller 0 to pass within said switch,

and thereby bring the rake down upon the platform.

On the vertical shaft H, and just above the box G, I place a grooved collar, 0, (shown in Figs. 2, 3,) which has upon its upper surface, near its periphery, a small pin, a, Figs, 2, 3, projec-tzig upward, and on the lower edge,

opposite the pin a, is a lug, o, Figs. 2,'3, which projects outward and below the collar 0 a short distance. Below the collar 0 is a spring, 2,. Fig. 3, which, pressing continually upward, keeps the collar 0 in contact with the lower surface of the head L, and as this head revolves, the pin it comes in contact with one of the four arms of said head, and motion is communicated to the collar 0. In the groove of the collar 0 rest the forks of the lever u, pivoted at w to the guideway d, and

this lever has a cord, q, passing from it downward to the roller 0', and thence within reach of the drivers hand or foot. On the upper and forward edge of the guideway d is a plate, s, secured as shown in Fig. 3, to which the guard t is fastened, bymeans of which the rake-arm is brought down when its weight'is not sufficient, or the grain may prevent.

The operation of thewhole will be readily understood from the description and by reference to the drawings. Any power applied to the pulley-wheel I imparts motion to the vertical shaft H and the rake-arms attached to its head L. As shown by the drawings, only one of the four arms acts as a rake, while the others act as reels. As the shaft Hturns, the collar 0 turns with it, and in its revolution the lug 0 comes in contact with the tripper-lever l, which, by its connection with the switch 9, causes the said switch to open, so as to allow the traveler-roller c of the next succeeding reel-arm to pass behind it, and thereby the reel-blade descends so that its teeth engage with the grain on the platform and re-' move it. When the lug 0 has passed the end of the tripper-lever Z, the switch'is released, and the spring k returns it to its position against the guideway 01..

To make sure of the proper closing of theswitch, even though the spring 70 should be non-operative, the rear end of the switch is curved inward, so that the traveler 0 cannot pass without closing the switch behind it in time to divert the next succeeding traveler.

Should the grain be very thin, so that there would not be sufficient for a gavel out during one revolution of the reel, the driver can, by

pullingthe cord q, depress the collar O, so as to break its connection with the head L, when it will remain stationary," and the switch will remain permanently closed until such time asthe connection between the collar 0 and head L shall be reestablished. During the time the collar is thus disconnected and stationary, all of the traveler-rollers a will pass over the switch, and none of the reel-bladeswill descend low enough to sweep the grain frointhe platform. The addition of another lug -o to the collarO will cause two of the reel-blades to act as rakes.

. Having now described my invention, what I claim as new is- 1. An automatic device which opens the switch 9 at each revolution'of the rake and reel, and at the same time-is under the control of the driver, to make the raking only when it means of the tripper lever Z, and a lug attached to a collar surrounding and revolved by the rake-shaft, substantially as set forth.

4. Arranging the tripper 1 between the guideway and the rake-arm head upon the box or bearing of the rake-shaft, substantially as set forth. l

5. The combination and arrangement of the switch g, provided with the arm j and spring k, with the tri'pper l and lug 0, or its equivalent.

THOMAS EARDI G.

Witnesses: I

CHARLES EVANS, CLAY WHITELEY. 

